The Blachi Files
by Ryuaku
Summary: About twenty years after the final showdown life is peaceful for Ayumu and the Blade Children. Everybody has drifted along their own pathes, but an unforseen crisis pulls everybody back together. Can the Blade Children escape fate for the second time?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Spiral or any of the characters that are in the original anime. The co-writer of this fic doesn't own Spiral either. However, the original characters are of our creation and do belong to us.

Notes: We tried to stay as close to original personalities as possible. This fiction is not a yaoi, slash, or shonen-ai. I hope it is enjoyable nevertheless. Also, spoilers will be present depending on how much of the anime you've seen. And with all that out of the way: on to the story!

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Prologue 

A young woman dressed in black kneeled in a shadowy underground tunnel, her golden eyes shining in the dim light as she studied the train tracks that ran a little beneath where she was perched. The knife was in place, but she couldn't help checking it over again for the third time. It was perfect. Her red lips curved up in a smile. This would satisfy and delight him even more than it did her. She wiped her black-leather gloved hands together and leaned back on her heels. He would be waiting for her back home.

The girl paused and looked around before rising to her feet, hopping down to the train tracks, and skipping along them until she reached the subway train that was supposed to run along the set of tracks she'd chosen. She flung the door to the main car open, hopped inside, and slid into the operator's room. The operating screen was still glowing. "Here we go!" Tomorrow at noon was when the subway would need to be running again. Her fingertips worked their magic, and with a "BLEEP!" the OS was back up and running. She swung herself back out of the car and ran for the exit, trying to keep her excitement contained.

* * *

"Ayumu." Hiyono peered into the kitchen, where her husband was preparing dinner. "Madoka just called. She said… that there's something on the news that you should see…"

Ayumu raised his eyebrows slightly, wiped his hands on a towel, and followed Hiyono into the den. The twins, Ayame and Hikari, and Ayumu's nephew, Daisuke, stared at the television, fixated, as the newscaster explained the source of the chaos ensuing behind him. "There's been a subway accident here in New York City. 15 dead, 43 in the hospital in various conditions. Police are investigating the cause of this disaster. It is believed that the train derailed due to the presence of a large throwing knife, similar to this one, which was found on the tracks near the scene of the tragedy." A knife was displayed on the screen for a moment. It was dinged up, but its unique, single, serrated edge could still be made out. The television screen returned to the scene of the accident, the newscaster now gone, and panned over the crowd of onlookers.

"No…Not again…" Ayumu whispered to himself as the camera caught a man with dark auburn hair and gold cat eyes. In the brief moment that the camera was on him the man smirked before turning and blending into the crowd, his white trench coat billowing out behind him.

"Ayumu," Hiyono looked at him questioningly. "Is it…?"

* * *

End notes: Well, there you have it. I'll be getting the first chapter up shortly, since all I have to do is edit. And, as always, please let us know what you think. 


	2. The Summons

Disclaimer: I don't own Spiral or any of the characters that are in the original anime. The co-writer of this fic doesn't own Spiral either. However, the original characters are of our creation and do belong to us, so please don't use them for whatever reason.

Notes: In addition to the previous notes, a person speaking will be represented by regular quotes (" "), while thoughts will be indicated by single quotes (' '). On to the story!

Chapter 1: The Summons

Ayumu perched, tense, on the couch, one foot tapping impatiently on the carpeted floor as he glanced at the clock again. It was the day after the disturbance in New York, and a letter had arrived in the mail. 'Why…?' Ayumu wondered. 'Why now'

"Dad." The voice of the young girl peering into the room shook Ayumu from his thoughts. He looked up as his daughter, Hikari, walked into the room, shadowed by her cousin, Daisuke.

"What's this all about? You've been acting strangely ever since yesterday…and now this." She pointed to the unopened envelope that lay on the coffee table. "What is that? Why won't you open it?"

Ayumu glanced over at Daisuke, then returned his gaze to the girl addressing him. "It's a letter from…an old acquaintance…"

"Oh…?" Hikari reached for the envelope. 'I wonder who it's from…' Then the front door clicked open.

"I'm home!" Hiyono announced as she closed the door behind herself and traded her outside shoes for slippers.

"Ah." Ayumu stood, slid the envelope from beneath his daughter's curious fingertips, and headed for the entryway. "Hiyono." He held the letter out for her to see.

"Ayumu! Is that any way to greet me after I spend a long, hard day at work! How about a 'Welcome home!', or a kiss or-or--!" She paused and blinked at the envelope. "Who..?"

"Kanone." Ayumu's voice was flat as he said the name. "By the way, dinner's ready."

"Kanone! But isn't he one of the- Ayumu…again…?"

Hikari looked between her parents. "Mother? Father?" She frowned slightly. 'I'm gonna get to the bottom of this…'

Ayumu looked at her, remembering her presence. "It's- How about we have dinner first." He frowned at the letter in his hand. 'So we don't lose our appetites.'

"Yes. Let's." Hiyono herded Hikari and Daisuke into the kitchen. "Ayumu, do you know where Ayame is?"

Ayumu blinked at the sudden question. "Actually, no. Hikari, would you go fetch your brother for us?"

"Hai, Papa." Hikari removed herself from her mother's grasp and ran up the stairs to the bedrooms. "Ayame!" She knocked on her brother's door, and then swung it open to the sound of his outraged shouting. "Brother, please try to contain yourself. Seriously."

The green-haired boy turned to look at his twin. "The boss on level seven just beat me like all my training was nothing!" The PS2 controller in Ayame's grip looked ready to break as he continued to rant.

Hikari rolled her eyes at him. "Dinner's ready. Hurry up, or I'll tell them that you're not hungry." She turned and headed back down the stairs.

Ayame jumped to his feet, waving his arms as he hurried after Hikari. "I'm coming! I'm coming!"

Hikari walked into the kitchen, Ayame following close behind. "That game hasn't completely consumed him yet." She pulled out a chair and sat at the table.

Ayumu smiled and served everyone a plate of yakisoba.

Hikari smiled softly as she wound some noodles around her chopsticks. 'It can't be all that bad if dad's still smiling.'

Daisuke poked at his food and began forming the noodles into a design on his plate; Ayumu ate quietly, a frown on his face once again and Ayame basically inhaled his food.

Hikari frowned. The smile was gone from her dad's face and he looked thoughtful once again. She quickly finished off her food. 'I want to get this resolved as quickly as possible.'

"So. How was work?" Ayumu finally asked Hiyono.

"Um… It was alright. The media's still in an uproar over yesterday's incident…" She mumbled between mouthfuls of food.

"Oh. Right." Ayumu paused. "That was a mess." 'Too dangerous. In fact… What was he thinking?'

"There are no leads… Ayumu, do you think he was responsible?" Hiyono pushed away her now empty plate and Hikari quickly rose to clear the table, noting that her father had barely touched his food.

Ayumu's frown deepened as he mulled everything over in his head. The last time he'd been involved with the Blade Children had been bad enough, and now he had more than Hiyono to protect. He had the twins and Daisuke to look after.

"Ayumu?" Hiyono moved to stand behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ready?"

He nodded.

Ayame blinked. "Ready for what?"

"In front of the children?' Hiyono questioned.

"Hey!" Hikari interjected. "Not fair! We're not little kids anymore!"

"Ewww…" Ayame looked disgusted. "Hikari… You wanna watch?"

"I wanna see what's in the letter, idiot!"

Ayame bounced in place. "Oooh! Letter? What letter?"

"Ayumu." Hiyono gently squeezed his shoulder.

He sighed, weighing his options. If Hikari, Ayame, and Daisuke were left in the dark they'd feel just as he had years ago. And then they too could get caught up in something dangerous. He pulled the letter out of his back pocket, nodded slightly, and opened the letter.

Hikari leaned across the table, planting her elbows in the middle. "Who's Kanone? What's it say?"

Ayame looked at his sister. "Kanone?"

Ayumu frowned at the open letter, then looked up at his children. "He tried to destroy me… a long time ago. I'll explain more later, but now…"

Hiyono frowned as she looked over the letter as well, her grip on Ayumu's shoulder tightening.

"What's it say?" Hikari leaned even further into the table.

"We've been invited to take a trip to America," Ayumu said. "We should take Daisuke to Madoka's."

Hiyono looked over at Daisuke. "I suppose that would be for the best…"

Ayame frowned in confusion. "Huh? Wait. America?" His face lit up.

Hikari straightened quickly, nearly knocking her chair over. "Does that mean we're going?"

Daisuke stood up and walked out of the room, unshed tears glistening in his dark gray eyes. 'They're all fine without me…Everybody is. I'm always left out of everything…thanks to him. It's his fault this is happening…'

Ayumu silently watched Daisuke go. He knew it was for the best, but he couldn't imagine how he would feel if he was in the same predicament as Daisuke. He turned back to Hiyono and the twins. "The private flight leaves at noon tomorrow."

"Are we going?" Hikari pressed.

Ayumu nodded. "I think we should. Hiyono? What do you think?"

She gave a slight nod. "I agree. We'll probably be dragged in one way or another anyway. Ayame, Hikari? Get ready to leave. And we'll call Madoka to let her know that Daisuke will be spending some time with her."

"Mother, Father?" Hikari smiled at them. "I'll call Madoka. I don't want you to have any more unnecessary stress."

Ayumu smiled softly at his daughter. "Thank you."

Ayame frowned. "Why can't he come?"

"It's not our place to go putting your cousin into situations where he could be in danger." Ayumu replied.

Hikari nodded in agreement as she grabbed the phone and headed to her room, stopping only to nab Daisuke from his room and drag him with her. "I'll start packing." She called down the stairs to her parents.

"Okay." Ayumu called back.

"Me too!" Ayame hollered as he bounced up the stairs.

Hikari pulled Daisuke into her room and closed the door. "Ready to pack?"

"What?" Daisuke blinked at his cousin, confused. "But, your dad said he was going to call my mom and drop me off over there."

The older girl grinned at him and held up the phone. "Where would I be without my partner in crime and logic? Ready to tell your mom that you're gonna be away on a family vacation with us for a while?"

Endnotes: Well, that concludes the first chapter. Comments, questions, and feedback of any kind are appreciated. Let me know how well I can write and edit at 3am with a painful headache. Also, look for upcoming pictures of the original characters! Until next time.


	3. Shattered Peace

Disclaimer: I don't own Spiral or any of the characters that are in the original anime. The co-writer of this fic doesn't own Spiral either. However, the original characters are of our creation and do belong to us, so please don't use them for whatever reason.

Notes: As before, a person speaking will be represented by regular quotes (" "), while thoughts will be indicated by single quotes (' '). Also, much thanks to ReLeNtLeSs RaIn and KousukeAsazuki for leaving reviews on fanfictionnet. And to Sapphire DemonChi, my cowriter, I'm working on it... And thanks!On to the story!

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Chapter 2: Shattered Peace

Finally he had reached his destination and was standing outside the stone walls of the private all-girls school. The white trench coat that he wore kept away most of the sun's heat, but he would not be waiting long. She should be out in less than ten minutes. He could wait, easily. Kanone smiled and looked into the clear sky. 'Are you ready, Blachi?'

"I've told you already." A girl's dangerously low voice reached Kanone's ears as she leveled icy blue eyes at the group of girls surrounding her. "Neither my father nor myself have the time to be bothered by your pettiness." Laurel turned on her heel, flipping long lavender hair over one shoulder, and marched out the school gates with as much gusto as her cultured upbringing would allow her. She glanced at the older man standing outside the gates before hurrying off. 'Creep.'

Kanone smiled an 'oh-I'm-not-up-to-anything' smile and waited for a swarm of girls to exit through the gates before following the lavender-haired girl.

Laurel hurried down the street, her thoughts focused on getting home. 'Dang it… Stupid girls. Now I'll be late getting home… And for my piano lesson with father.'

Kanone smiled to himself. He knew where she was heading, and it was his final destination in England as well. He felt like a cat with a mouse as he studied her every move: her walk, what caught her eye- summing in how much like her father she really was.

Laurel stiffened, skidding to a halt and whirled around to look behind herself.

Without missing a beat Kanone turned to the right, pretending to talk on his cell. He found a bench and sat down. It wasn't yet time to approach her…but soon…

The girl frowned. 'I could have sworn he was following me…wait… Isn't that the guy who was at the gates after school? But he looks familiar from somewhere else too…' She glanced down at her watch and took off at a run, thoughts of the mysterious man forgotten. 'Now I'm going to be really late!'

Kanone put the phone away, flipped his coat inside out so that it was now tan, put a matching hat on, and used another path to continue following the daughter of Eyes.

Laurel stopped outside her house and let herself in the gates, locking them behind herself. She straightened out her rumpled uniform and caught her breath before walking the path that led to the front door and letting herself into the small mansion.

Kanone smirked. He sat on a nearby bench and waited an hour before standing and approaching the gates to the Rutherford estate.

Meanwhile… Laurel scrambled up a tree that was planted in the front left corner of the estate. She swung herself up to kneel at the top of the stone wall and spotted the man she'd seen earlier standing at the gate. She frowned again over a forgotten detail. 'Doesn't father have a picture of him somewhere… he looks a little older, but…' Her eyes widened as she dropped to the ground outside the mansion's gardens and ran toward the stranger. 'What could he want here?'

Kanone's gold eyes widened slightly as he caught sight of the approaching girl. "Huh?"

"You." Laurel stopped at a safe distance from the intruder, glaring at him with her cold eyes. "Why were you following me? What do you want here!"

"What do I want?" Kanone asked lazily. "You. Or rather, your father." He could tell she had the blood in her, the blood of the Blade Children.

"It's Kanone, right? There's nothing here for you. I'm sure my father would not want to be troubled by your presence," she lied. She knew that he father would probably not mind seeing his childhood friends, but the unknown circumstances under which Kanone was here made Laurel uneasy.

"Well, my dear," he stepped forward, thin pupils staring back into her cold gaze, "I'm afraid that my leaving without speaking to him isn't much of an option."

Laurel's glare grew colder as she took in the older man. "Go away. You're unwanted here." 'I don't want any more suffering for us.'

"Aww." Kanone shrugged. "Ya don't mean that, do ya? Ya haven't even gotten to know me."

"I've heard about you. That's more than enough for me. I won't allow you to ruin the peace here."

Kanone realized that his "logic" wasn't reaching her and began to walk toward her, his hands buried in his pockets, eyes gleaming.

Laurel slipped a hand into one of her own pockets. "Stay back!"

He continued advancing, his eyes focused on her as if he were seeing through her very flesh and bones.

She drew a small throwing knife from her pocket, casting its sheath aside with a flick of her wrist, and assumed a fighting stance. 'I will not lose… not to you.' Her icy blue eyes contained a barely-hidden fire.

Kanone didn't step back. Like lightening, his hand was around the girl's wrist, forcing her hand up and back. He pressed her wrist's tendon. The knife clattered to the ground and Kanone's golden eyes all but burned into the icy gaze of his opponent.

Her blue eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she grabbed Kanone's wrist with the hand that had held the knife and twisted his arm behind his back.

"A'right! A'right!" His free hand hit the air. "Ya got me!"

Laurel didn't move. Kanone was easily a foot taller than her, and she didn't trust him at all. "How can I be sure?"

"Well," Kanone's shoulders sagged in an illusion of defeat. "We can just stand here all day…"

"Why are you here?"

"There is something I would like to run by you father." He winced as Laurel twisted his arm a little further.

"You're going to ruin the peace around here, aren't you!" Her tone demanded an answer.

"Your beloved peace would be shattered even without my being here," Kanone stated calmly. "They're after you—you and your father."

"Who is?"

"Old enemies.." Kanone dropped to his knees and bucked the smaller girl over his shoulder, caught her before she slammed into the stone wall, and stared into her frightened eyes for less than a second before he tapped her shoulder-trap, rendering her unconscious. He opened the gates and started up the path.

Eyes sat at his piano, looking over some music when he heard someone enter the room and kick the door closed behind themselves.

"Eyes." Kanone's voice echoed behind Eyes like a broken piano key. Laurel was still in his arms.

Eyes stood from his piano quickly enough to knock over the bench he'd been sitting on. He turned on his heel. "Kanone. Laurel!" His delicate hands bunched themselves into fists.

"Howdy," Kanone's happy-go-lucky demeanor ran dark and serious, "old friend."

"What do you want, Kanone?" Eyes spoke the words slowly, as if speaking to someone who had trouble understanding English, keeping his eyes on his daughter.

"I'm here for you…and her." He looked down at Laurel, before raising his head to look at Eyes again. "Eyes, it's starting again, but worse. This time…I fear we will die…" He slowly walked over to the other man and passed his daughter to him.

Eyes carried Laurel to a couch in the room, set her down, and collapsed into the chair next to it, composure momentarily lost. "No…I fought once. My battle is over and those ghosts are gone. I will not allow them to plague my daughter."

"I wish that I too saw them as ghosts." Kanone shoved his hands into his pockets. "Brilliant daughter you have there, Eyes."

Eyes raised his head slightly. "What?"

"Well…she and I, err, just..nevermind." Kanone's eyes drifted of to the left. "Anyway…" sweat rolled down from his temple.

"What did you do to her, Kanone?"

"She sought to protect you from these ghosts you speak of, but I wanted to speak with you, Eyes. So she defended you. She's just unconscious."

"Well." Eyes sighed. "It looks like you have me now."

Kanone smiled, eyes closed, "Yippee." His voice was flat.

* * *

Endnotes: Well, that concludes the second chapter. Comments, questions, and feedback of any kind are appreciated. I'm going to try very hard to update roughly once a week or so. It depends on how fast we write and how fast I can edit. I'm updating now, because I probably won't be able to while my grandma's here. I can still write and edit though… The next chapter has been written, but it's twice as long, so I'm whining about editing. Anyway, I'll try to get pictures of original chars up on soon. They can be found under the name Ryuaku on media miner org, once I get them up.Until next time! 


	4. Old Faces

Disclaimer: I don't own Spiral or any of the characters that are in the original anime. The co-writer of this fic doesn't own Spiral either. However, the original characters are of our creation and do belong to us, so please don't use them for whatever reason.

Notes: As before, a person speaking will be represented by regular quotes (" "), while thoughts will be indicated by single quotes (' '). I apologize for the long wait. Also, please take note that I edited this at 4:30 in the morning while eating chocolate covered marshmallows and a tub of ice cream…however, my little sister will be proofreading for me. And she has seen all of Spiral, so let's hope she knows what she's doing. And…I was on vacation for a while and I'm very sorry I was unable to post this sooner. And... I had this all typed up months ago, but I've been waiting for my sister to proofread it….. On to the story!

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Chapter 3: Old Faces

Ayumu glanced around the spacious interior of the large private jet, taking note of the lone-child that was seated towards the back of the plane. His presence threw Ayumu off balance as questions shot through his mind. 'Who is this boy? Why is he unaccompanied by an adult? He looks… familiar somehow…' He glanced over at his children. Ayame, babbling about never having been on a plane before, had selected a seat in a row near the middle of the plane, and Hikari slid into the row behind her brother, oversized suitcase in tow. Ayumu's gaze returned to the blonde boy in the back. He turned to ask Hiyono if she recognized the boy when realization struck him- the boy looked like Sayoko.

Hiyono cast a concerned look at her husband as their jet took off. "What is it?"

"Is it just me… or does that boy look a lot like Sayoko?" Ayumu frowned.

"Hmm… Now that you mention it…" Hiyono leaned over to get a better look as the child in question leaned back in his seat, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth as he closed his turquoise eyes. "He looks just like Sayoko. But why would she let him come here alone? I mean… she never really had a connection to the other Blade Children."

Ayumu did not reply, his attention drawn, instead, to his son. Ayame had unbuckled his seatbelt and was approaching the mysterious boy.

"Hi! I'm Ayame!" He smiled brightly.

The boy opened his eyes and blinked at the shock of bright green hair that greeted his eyes. He quickly recovered and held out his hand with a smirk. "Kohaku Shiranagatani."

Ayame shook the boy's hand hesitantly. "Nice to meetcha!"

"The pleasure is all mine, I'm sure," the boy returned, his eyes sliding closed once again.

The fasten seatbelts sign lit up with a "bing" and Ayame hurriedly took the seat next to Kohaku, buckling up.

Hiyono looked out the window as the plane landed and blinked. "We're in Tokyo…?"

Ayumu nodded absently and looked at the entrance to the plane's cabin, wondering who the jet was picking up. He felt alarm jolt though him as a familiar figure appeared in the doorway.

Kousuke's green eyes burned into Ayumu. "Little Narumi…"

Hiyono smiled cheerfully. "Fancy meeting you here, Kousuke."

"Hyoko! Hi!" The red-head waved and moved away from the entrance, allowing others to board.

"My name is Hiyono!" She looked annoyed, until she saw who was with Kousuke. "Ryoko…?"

"Hey." Ryoko smiled and glanced behind herself at the tall teenaged boy hurrying on after her. She returned her eyes to Hiyono and Ayumu. "So, you two got hitched?" She winked.

Hiyono smiled softly. "Indeed we did. As did you and Kousuke?"

Ryoko nodded as she moved away from the door and sat down, tucking her bag away.

"Yue! Wait up!" A second teenaged boy boarded the plane and tackled the boy who had followed Kyoko onto the plane.

The other boy, Yue, looked over his shoulder with a sigh. "Nikkou."

Ayame looked closely at the two boys. They were obviously related. Their mismatched eyes were mirrored in each other's features, Yue's right eye red while Nikkou's green, and vise versa.

Yue pulled away from his brother and took the seat that was across the isle from Hikari's.

Nikkou followed his older brother and slid past to take the seat next to his. "So cold…"

Hikari glanced over at the pair, curious.

Yue turned at the same time, his unmatched eyes meeting hers almost as if on cue.

Hikari bit back a gasp as their eyes met and looked down into her lap quickly, blushing self-consciously.

Ayame blinked at the new arrivals from his position by Kohaku and launched himself at the backs of their seats. "Hey! Who're you guys?"

Ryoko laughed to herself, reminded of a younger, more hyperactive Hiyono.

Nikkou turned around in his seat so he could view his green-haired attacker. "Yo."

"Hey!" Ayame repeated. "I'm Ayame Narumi!"

Yue ignored the hyperactive boy as Nikkou returned the greeting. "I'm Nikkou Asazuki. And this sourpuss..." He poked Yue. "Is my older brother, Yue."

Yue nodded, only giving Ayame a short glance – until he realized that the green-haired boy had the same face as the girl across for him, except masculine.

Ayame tilted his head at Yue's double take. "Huh?"

"Nothing." Yue turned away and pulled his carry-on bag into his lap.

Ayame tapped his foot, soon huffing over being brushed aside and the fact that his sister had failed to introduce herself. He rushed across the aisle to stand next to her. "And thiiis is my twin sis, Hikari!" His arm wrapped around her shoulders as he pressed his cheek against hers and winked, grinning.

"Ayame!" Hikari turned red as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Ayame groaned. "Hikari…"

Yue blinked at the twins. 'She's friendly, I see…' He thought sarcastically, not daring to voice his thought out loud.

Towards the front of the plane Hiyono raised an eyebrow and Ayumu sighed, both wondering what their son was up to.

Hikari recovered quickly from her embarrassment, her cheeks still slightly pink, and smiled at the brothers. "Nice to meet you."

Yue looked up from the book that he had produced from his carry-on. "Like wise.

Ayame pouted silently, 'he said less to me!'

Hikari blushed once again and became thoroughly engaged in digging for something in her backpack; the boys' eyes were unnerving.

"Hey. What do you have in there --?" Some sudden turbulence cut Ayame short and, thrown off balance, he crashed down on Hikari's large suitcase.

Hikari let out an ear piercing shriek and Ayame looked up at her, the shock on his face mostly from the girly scream. He slowly and clumsily got off the bag.

Yue, Nikkou, Kohaku, Ryoko, and Kousuke all glanced quickly in Hikari's direction. Ayumu sighed, wondering what Ayame had done now, and Hiyono twisted in her seat, peering down the aisle at her children.

"My apologies." Hikari stood and smiled sweetly at her fellow passengers. "My brother landed on my foot rather hard. I shall work on containing myself." She righted her suitcase and resumed her seat.

"I did?" Ayame blinked.

Kohaku closed his eyes, Kousuke smirked as he returned to facing forward in his seat, Ryoko turned as well, closing her eyes for a nap, Nikkou stared out the window, Hiyono exchanged glances with Ayumu, and Yue returned to his book.

Ayame squeezed into the seat next to his sister. "Are you hurt?"

"No. No. I'm fine."

"Ah?" Ayame's face fell. "You sure have long feet!"

Hikari smiled dangerously. "Oh, really?"

Ayame blinked and knew not to dig further. His left hand flew to the back of his head. "Ahahaha…so, uh, later! He hurried back to his seat.

Almost immediately after Ayame had sat down the "fasten seatbelt" lights flashed on and the pilot's voice crackled over the speakers, flooding the cabin with the sound. "Preparing for landing. Please take your seats and make sure that seatbelts are securely fastened."

Ayame groaned as he re-buckled his seatbelt.

Hikari absently tugged on hers to make sure it was secure and glanced over at Yue. The boy had put his book away and was leaning back in his seat, almost looking bothered.

Ayumu stared out the window as the plane neared the ground, his mind on Kanone and the subway incident.

The humming of the plane grew and its wheels hit pavement, causing Yue to swallow as his face paled. Ayame cheered happily, and Ayumu hushed him.

Hikari blinked curiously at Yue as Nikkou gripped his brother's shoulder. "Are you okay?" They asked simultaneously.

Yue thought he was hearing double. He looked at Nikkou, then Hikari, before staring at his lap. "I think… I'll be okay, thank you…"

Finally the plane's movement stopped and the speakers crackled to life once more. "Please do not disembark at this time. This is only a pickup stop." The captain's voice informed them.

A stewardess assisted the newcomers onto the plane and the silver eyes of the youngest Blade Child gazed into the cabin filled with both familiar and new faces. She smiled. "Why, hello!"

"Rio!" Hiyono unbuckled and jumped up. "It's great to see you! How have you been?"

"Rio." Kousuke offered a small smile and a trademark, "yo."

"It's good to see all of you too. I've been well." She motioned to the two people who had followed her into the plane. "This is my husband Yuki." Rio motioned to the man with black hair and eyes who stood a little taller than she. "And my daughter Hana." She rested a hand on the shoulder of the young teen.

The girl shyly raised golden-red eyes and gave a small nod, tucking a strand of her back-streaked silver hair behind one ear.

Hiyono beamed happily at Rio's family. "That's wonderful. You already know Ayumu. And those two are our children. Ayame and Hikari." She motioned to each in turn.

Rio nodded with a smile before Ryoko stood and pulled her into a tight hug. "It's so great to see you. I see that I'm still taller than you," the older woman grinned. "And of course Kousuke's here, along with our two sons, Yue and Nikkou." She pointed at the two auburn heads about midway down the plane's cabin.

"Hey!" Nikkou unbuckled and stood. "I'm Nikkou." He pointed to the boy sitting next to him. "Mister strong and silent here is Yue."

Rio laughed. "Wow. They look just like you guys."

Hana shyly nodded at the new round of introductions with a muted, "hello."

Hikari gave Hana a friendly smile and lightly kicked the back of her brother's seat with a hissed, "invite her to sit with you." She sighed softly. 'If I didn't have this huge suitcase I'd ask her myself…'

Ayame blinked back at his sister. "Huh? Uh… okay." He waved at Hana to come sit by him.

Hana blushed lightly and looked to her mother who nudged her forward and found her own seat next to Yuki. The girl still hesitated, until the pilot spoke. "Prepare for takeoff!" Hana took the seat next to Ayame and he grinned, happily striking up a conversation with the shy girl.

Seeing that Hana and Ayame were getting along Hikari glanced over at Yue with curiosity. It seemed like his brother constantly did all the talking for the both of them. "Does he ever talk?" she wondered out loud.

A sweat drop rolled from Yue's temple as a blush ran across his face.

Hikari blushed as well and ducked her head when she realized that Yue had heard her comment.

Nikkou grinned mischievously and poked his older brother in the arm. "Still not going to say anything to the pretty girl?" He whispered in Yue's ear with a smirk.

"Fine." Yue unbuckled, stood, and, straightening his collar, stepped into the aisle. He softly cleared his throat and slid into the seat next to Hikari, careful not to kick the suitcase. "Hikari, was it? It seems my brother has developed quite the lil' crush on you."

Hikari stared at Yue, wide-eyed. "..Wha…?"

Nikkou was across the aisle immediately. He leaned in close to Hikari and Yue so he wouldn't be overheard by others. "You are adorable, Hikari. But, you see… I'm afraid that Yue is the one with the crush on you. He's just so used to me doing all the talking that he tends to get us confused." The younger boy smirked apologetically.

Had they been alone, Yue would have tackled Nikkou. Instead, his mismatched glare dug into the younger teen.

Ayame peered over the top of his seat, wondering what the brothers were talking to Hikari about.

Nikkou just grinned in response to Yue's glare. 'You asked for it.' He looked over at Hikari. "I'll leave you two to sort this out." He shoved Ayame's head down ("Hey!" the green-haired boy squawked) and returned to his seat, leaving behind a livid Yue and a confused Hikari.

Yue had the urge to jump up after Nikkou and strangle him. He turned to Hikari and gave her an innocent smile that was almost apologetic.

Hikari frowned at him. "What are you two trying to pull? …If you're just messing with me…" He eyes clouded with tears and she looked away, out the window. 'Why gang up on me.' she whispered to herself, as another part of her whispered that perhaps she was the one with the crush.

Yue gently rested a hand on Hikari's shoulder. "I'm sorry." He murmured. "Please don't be hurt…"

The girl bit her lip and refused to look at the boy. 'Go away.'

Yue's fingers slowly slid off Hikari's shoulder and he got up to returned to his seat. As he entered the aisle his father caught his eye with a stern look that promised a lecture after they had reached their destination. Yue looked away, embarrassed to have messed up and reclaimed his seat.

Ayame's head popped back up over the back of his seat. "What'd they say to you Hikari?" He was frowning.

"Nothing… They said nothing." Hikari whispered back softly. She rested her head against the window and her hair swung forward to cover her face as a tear spilled down her cheek.

Ayame saw it; she could never hide it from him. He glared over at the brothers before turning and resuming his position, thinking about what his next move would be.

Nikkou fidgeted in his seat. "Yue…"

* * *

Endnotes: Well, that concludes the third chapter. Comments, questions, and feedback of any kind are appreciated. That didn't feel as smooth as I would have liked it to be, but I hope it was enjoyable, nevertheless. Some character torture at the end. And character development. sigh Not as much of the blade children as I would have liked. Nikkou and Yue somehow remind me a bit of Heero and Duo… Anyway. I'm going to try very hard to update roughly once a month or so. I'm starting school. So between my classes and work I don't know how much free time I'll have. It depends on how fast we write and how fast I can edit. The next chapter has been written, and it's not too long, so I should be faster than I was with this chapter. Also, I was having difficulty with the fanart system on mediaminer…so I posted the pictures to an Elf Town wiki. This is the link: http/elftown.lysator.liu.se/The20Blachi20Files and it should work even if you're not a member of ET yourself. I will also be getting a "bloopers" area up there some time soon (hopefully….). Until next time! 


	5. Thorns

Disclaimer: I don't own Spiral or any of the characters that are in the original anime. The co-writer of this fic doesn't own Spiral either. However, the original characters are of our creation and do belong to us, so please don't use them for whatever reason.

Notes: As before, a person speaking will be represented by regular quotes (" "), while thoughts will be indicated by single quotes (' '). I'm sorry that I'm so horrible about editing these chapters… (we must have at least 20 by now)… but it's somewhat difficult to find the time between school, anime club, and trying to get a Fruits Basket cast together for the convention in our area. Anyway. Here it is. Better late than never, ne?

Chapter 4: Thorns

Kanone stood, feet apart, arms crossed, at the foot of the narrow staircase that led into a small jet. "Are you ready, Eyes?"

"If we must join you, Kanone, I'm as ready as I could ever be. I've let Jasmine know that Laurel and I will be in America for an undecided amount of time. She was most displeased to discover that we would be with you." Eyes sighed and glanced at his daughter. "Are you ready, Laurel?"

The girl glared icy daggers at Kanone before turning her gaze to her father. "Must I go as well?"

With a sigh, Kanone shifted his weight. "Now why would you ask that?"

"I should be in school right now. And, besides that, you don't play fair."

The golden-eyed man laughed. "So it would seem."

Laurel blinked at him, and then turned to stare at her father in disbelief. "And _you_ trust him?"

Eyes glanced at Kanone. "We grew up together… so, even if our opinions on certain issues differ greatly, yes. To a certain extent, I do trust him." He replied cautiously.

Kanone shrugged. "Enough said. Shall we go now?"

A soft sigh escaped Laurel's lips as she gave Kanone a level gaze. "It seems that I have little choice." She turned away from the two men and boarded the jet.

A small, victorious, but impressed, laugh escaped Kanone as he smirked at Eyes. "Quite the daughter you have. Am I repeating myself? She's an awful lot like you Eyes."

"Is that so?"

Kanone simply laughed again and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Shall we follow her lead?"

Eyes nodded silently, thoughtfully, as he turned and boarded the jet.

Their abductor followed Eyes onto the jet. Once they entered the spacious, custom designed cabin Kanone stepped into the cockpit, reemerging after a few minutes. He seated himself on the plush, couch-like bench facing the Rutherford's.

Eyes pulled out a book, flipped it open to the bookmarked page and began reading.

Laurel glanced at Kanone before turning her gaze to the view out the window, as the jet started down the runway.

Kanone crossed his arms and studied his childhood friend. "So… Enjoying your book? What's it about?"

The lavender haired man raised his gaze from the book he'd been reading. "It's rather difficult, Kanone, to enjoy a book if you're talking to me."

Kanone frowned. "I'm sorry, Eyes. It's just rather quiet and boring, you know?

Eyes nodded silently and returned to reading his book.

Kanone's frown deepened. Eyes was not interested in starting a conversation. He turned to Laurel. "So, ever been on a plane before?"

"What's it to you?" the girl returned sharply, her eyes still glued on the view out the window. She sighed, and turned her head slightly, watching Kanone out the corner of her eye. "I've traveled with my father before, yes."

Kanone nodded. "I see. How interesting. Where'd you go?"

"Wherever our talents were wanted." Her voice developed a dangerous edge.

"So you got talent, do you?"

Laurel turned fully and narrowed her gaze on the golden-eyed man. "I play the piano." 'Maybe, if things were different I would have played for you.'

Kanone returned the look. "So does your father."

Laurel smiled lazily at the man across from her, not relaxing her stance. He was messing with her. Testing her somehow. Well, two could play that game. "Really? I never would have guessed, what with all the publicity surrounding him and all."

Kanone laughed. "Ever been to America before?"

"No. My mother felt that I would encounter a bad influence if I were to travel there, and my father respected her wishes." She looked regretful for a second.

Kanone just stared at her. "Where all have you been?"

"All over Europe."

The older man raised an eyebrow. "So that makes me the winner."

"You're also over twice my age."

He nodded. "Indeed. By the way, how are your grades?"

"I'd say, right now, I'd give you a 'D'. You're not all that bad, but I'd still hate to be stuck somewhere with you." 'And as for school… as if mother would accept anything less than perfect. And that's still not enough.'

Kanone laughed. Then, his cell phone rang. "Excuse me, please." He stood and went into the cockpit.

Laurel watched him go, then touched her father's arm. "Interesting friend you've got there." 'And so different from how I imagined.'

Eyes sighed. "Indeed."

A few minutes later Kanone returned, made his way to the small bar, and poured himself a shot of tequila. "Either of you thirsty?"

Eyes glanced over at the other man before returning his gaze to his book. "Thank you, but no.

Laurel folded her arms across her chest, a small frown turning down the corners of her mouth. "I don't drink."

Kanone smirked. "I wasn't referring to alcohol, my dear." He motioned toward the shot he was holding. "It's extremely damaging to your insides when you're on a plane."

Laurel raised an eyebrow. She'd never heard that before. "And what are you doing, then?"

He continued smirking and downed the shot. "Nothing that concerns you."

"Ooooh…." Laurel glared at him before turning, once more, to the window.

Eyes looked up and raised a questioning eyebrow at his friend.

* * *

Endnotes: Well, there you have it. And as for drinking alcohol on a plane…I really don't know. I agree more with Laurel on that. In any case… if you're interested, some art of the original characters can now be found on deviant art by either looking up me, Ryuaku, or searching for Blachi files. This was a fun chapter, and hopefully I'll be able to get out the next one before I die. . Until next time. 


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